Midsize employers

The Globe invited 1,160 employers to participate in its third annual Top Places to Work. Of those, 236 went all the way through the process, allowing us to conduct a confidential survey of their workers. Research partner WorkplaceDynamics of Exton, Pa., specialists in employee engagement and retention, contacted more than 133,000 employees at those companies and received completed surveys from 82,000 individuals. Each was asked to grade their organization's performance according to 23 distinct statements, ranging from "I believe this organization is going in the right direction" to "It's easy to tell my boss the truth." More on methodology.